Nine tech gadgets you can implant in your body

Given the crazy hype surrounding Apple's introduction of the Apple Watch, you might think that wearables will be the next big turning point in the direction of technology. Despite all the hype around wearables, they are still a transitional technology, with the next frontier of technology moving from outside our bodies to inside our bodies. Here we take a look at nine fast-growing implantable technologies that will soon become part of your life and body.

1. Implantable smartphone

Implantable smartphones: Now that we're virtually connected to our phones 24/7, what about being physically connected? In 2013, artist Anthony Antonellis implanted an RFID chip in his arm as a "digital tattoo" that stores and transfers images of artwork to a smartphone. Researchers are also experimenting with embedded sensors that turn human bones into living microphones. Other scientists are working on devices embedded in the eye that would capture images with a blink and send them to any local storage device. If a smartphone were implanted in the body, where would the display appear? Technicians at Autodesk, a well-known multinational software company, are testing a system that can display images through artificial skin. Images may also appear in your eye implant.

2. Healing Chip

Healing Chips: Patients can now monitor and treat diseases using networked implants that connect directly to smartphone apps. Boston University is testing a new bionic pancreas with tiny sensors attached to implantable needles that talk directly to smartphone apps that monitor blood sugar levels in diabetics. London scientists are developing a capsule-sized circuit that monitors fat levels in obese patients and generates genetic material that makes them feel full. The circuit has the potential to replace current surgery or other weight loss methods. Dozens of other teams are working on implants that monitor heart conditions.

3. An online pill that lets you talk to your doctor

Cyber ​​pills that talk to doctors: Implantable devices can not only communicate with mobile phones, but also with doctors. In a project called Proteus, British scientists are developing a cyber pill that has a microprocessor that can send text messages directly to doctors from inside your body. These pills can share information about your body to help doctors understand your health status and whether the medication is having the expected effect.

4. Bill Gates' implantable contraceptive device

Bill Gates' Implantable Contraceptive Device: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is funding a project at MIT to develop a contraceptive device that can be implanted in women and controlled remotely from the outside. The device's microchip produces a small amount of contraceptive hormones in the woman's body for up to 16 years. The implant is no more invasive than a tattoo. The researchers say the device's on/off function can be controlled by the implantee, making it easier for people planning to start a family.

5. Smart Tattoo

Smart tattoos: Tattoos are often seen as a symbol of fashion and are almost ubiquitous, so why not implant a smart tattoo? Smart tattoos not only look cool, but are also useful and can unlock cars or smartphones. Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed an implantable computer fiber skin grid that is thinner than a human hair and can monitor your body from the inside out. A company called Dangerous Things has developed an NFC chip that can be implanted in your finger like a tattoo, and you can use it to unlock or enter a password. A research team in Texas has developed a microparticle that can be injected under the skin to track the body's metabolic processes.

6. Brain-computer interface

Brain-computer interface: Directly connecting the human brain to a computer was once a fantasy in science fiction, but now the BrainGate team at Brown University is working on connecting the brain and computer in reality. "Preliminary studies show that neural signals can be decoded by computers in real time and used to control external devices by implanting electrodes the size of a baby aspirin into the brain," they wrote on their website. Chipmaker Intel predicts that brain-computer interfaces will be put into practical use by 2020. Intel scientist Dean Pomerleau recently wrote: "Ultimately, humans will be more willing to implant devices in their brains, so that you can surf the Internet through the power of thought."

7. Soluble Bio-Batteries

Dissolvable biobatteries: A major challenge for implantable devices is how to power these implanted devices. You can't stuff these energy sources into the body, and it's not easy to take the device out to replace the battery. Scientists at Draper Laboratory in Massachusetts, USA, are developing biodegradable batteries. They can generate electricity in the body, transmit it wirelessly to where it is needed, and then dissolve. Other research includes using glucose in the human body to power implantable devices. For example, potato batteries, although small in size, are more advanced.

8. Smart Dust

Smart Dust: The most amazing implantable device today is smart dust, an array of microcomputers with antennas, each smaller than a grain of sand, that self-assemble into the network needed to handle complex situations in the body. Imagine these nanodevices attacking early cancer cells, relieving pain from wounds, and even storing key personal information in encrypted form. With smart dust, doctors will be able to perform surgery inside your body without having to operate. Information is stored inside your body, forming your own nanonetwork that only you can decrypt.

9. Self-verification

Self-Authentication: Implantable technologies like these go against social norms, they raise privacy issues, and even create a larger dystopian dark society. This technology could be used as an ID card for everyone. The US military has strict requirements when it comes to implanting RFID chips in soldiers, which can automatically track troops around the world. Many social critics believe that this expansion of IDs is inevitable. Many see it as a positive effect, improving crime fighting, ensuring election security, positively changing medical information and responses, and never getting lost again. Others see it as the perfect Orwellian society, where Big Brother knows everything, monitors everything, and controls everything. Others see it as a critical step towards the Singularity, where new technologies will be so powerful that they are beyond our comprehension.

This article comes from: http://tech.qq.com/a/20141010/003395.htm#p=1